In a nutshell
What?
The goal is to conceptually refine and empirically explore sensemaking processes among change agents that lead to the cultural evolution of sustainability-relevant worldviews and narratives. The project employs an innovative mixed methods approach that draws from and combines research on sustainability transitions, worldviews, cultural evolution, narratives, and sensemaking.
Why?
Sustainability-related issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and the destruction of ecosystems are frequently treated as problems to be fixed solely by means of technological innovations that result in new modes of production and consumption. However, the currently unsustainable ways of interacting with the natural environment and other humans can also be seen as the outcome of the cultural evolution of ecologically and societally detrimental narratives and religious as well as secular worldviews. Yet, research on worldviews and narratives is highly fragmented. Consequently, a better understanding of the processes underlying the evolution and prevalence of sustainability-relevant narratives and worldviews promises to provide key insights for sustainability researchers and practitioners.
How?
The empirical part of the project focuses on change agents, that is, groups of actors who are involved in transformation processes in particular ways. CULEST looks at how these change agents make sense of crises, what narratives they construct, and how these narratives shape different imaginations of transformation. Methodologically, the project combines three approaches: (1) systematic literature review, (2) empirical worldview research (including qualitative interviews), and (3) a survey of micro-narratives via the SenseMaker® software platform.
